Our Trip To Scotland (aka the honeymoon we never took)

My husband and I have always dreamed of traveling to Scotland, visiting Edinburgh going up to Inverness. He had always wanted to see where his ancestors, who were mainly Vikings, settled in Scotland. My relatives were also from Scotland but I don’t know as much about them until they came to America.We were so grateful that Walnut Grove Travel was able to find us a cheap airfare and car rentals, and help us make all the travel arrangements. We left our business and extended family in the greater Seattle area and set off to explore Scotland. This would be the honeymoon trip that we never took. We decided to leave in early October, just after the busy tourist season, and since we live in the Seattle area, we don’t mind the damp and cool climate. So we set forth from the Seattle-Tacoma airport looking forward to this trip.

One of the first places we visited, Edinburgh Castle! We had a great time exploring Scotland’s capital city! We visited Edinburgh Castle, the bridge over the Firth of Forth, walked the Royal Mile, climbed to the top of a Victorian Gothic monument dedicated to Sir Walter Scott to see the view at sunset (good thing we’re in shape!), took a ghost tour and ate rose and dark chocolate gelato at Mary’s Milk Bar. We even went into a shop (Clans of Scotland) we found on the Royal Mile and looked for my ancestors, the McIntosh clan.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, it is really worth checking out!

Seriously delicious! What a nice break in our day of sightseeing. I may have sneaked a bite or two of my husband's...

From Edinburgh we drove up the coast, stopping at Perth and Aberdeen along our way to Inverness. In Perth we made sure to visit Scone Castle and Kinnoull Hill, which had a fabulous view of the vista below. In Aberdeen, we wanted to visit Balmoral Castle, which is home to the British royal family, but it was unfortunately closed for the day. Because I’m a fan of all maritime activities, we went to the Aberdeen Maritime Museum. What a different from the other maritime museums I’ve visited in other countries!

Balmoral Castle

Kinnoull Hill

Scone Castle

By the time we reached Inverness, it felt like we’d been on the road for weeks instead of just days. We were tired of visiting castles and museums and wanted to be outside more. We spent a glorious day hiking around Loch Ness (site of the infamous Loch Ness monster) and ended up listening to music at Hootenanny’s on Church Street. It wasn’t as crowded as we feared and a great way to end our trip to Scotland!

We didn't see the Loch Ness Monster but we were able to spend a day enjoying the scenery and beauty at Loch Ness Lake.

Loch Ness Castle

We were tired yet rejuvenated at the end of our trip and grateful that we could return home to our family, home and friends! What a great 10th anniversary honeymoon!